Stage Fright
by Red Amnesia
Summary: Takashi's voice fails him when it matters most.  Oneshot, MoriHaru


**Title:** Stage Fright  
**Pairing:** MoriHaru  
**Rating:** K+  
**Disclaimer:** Ouran HSHC is owned by Bisco Hatori and that's not me.  
**Summary:** Takashi's voice fails him when it matters most. (Oneshot, MoriHaru)

-/-/-/-

Takashi Morinozuka was a man of few words. Which isn't to say that he _couldn't _speak; he simply preferred silence.

There had been times he had been shocked into speechlessness, certainly. That was an experience most people would find familiar. However he considered himself fortunate to have never suffered from a different common affliction: stage fright. Despite his silent nature, the tall senior could always be counted on to speak when necessary. Never in the two short decades of his life had his deep baritone voice failed him.

But there's a first time for everything.

'_Mother was right,'_ he thought helplessly as the large crowd leaned in with breathless anticipation, waiting for his answer. _'Use it or loose it.'_

His mouth opened a second time and still no words came out. His small cousin and best friend seemed to realize the trouble first and nudged him with an encouraging grin.

"Takashi!" Mitsukuni whispered, as would a small child who had no control over the volume of their voice. As a result, the entire room could plainly hear. "Just say it! Then we can go have cake, ne?" Takashi did not find this headlong advice particularly helpful, nor was his rolling stomach interested in sweets.

"Mori-sempai!" A much taller and equally loud blonde had made his way discreetly, yet impossibly quickly, to their side. "If you are having second thoughts, then allow me to take your place! Why I would be honored to-" Tamaki's ramble was blessedly cut short by the arrival of Kyouya, who snatched the King by his ear and began to pull him back towards his designated seat.

"Perhaps a short recess?" the man with glasses and a plastic smile commented on the way past. Takashi opened his mouth for a third time: to say his part, to respond to Kyouya, anything. Still nothing came out.

There was soft snickering as the twins could no longer contain themselves and openly revelled in his uncomfortable predicament. "Hey Kaoru, do you think he short circuited?" Hikaru asked.

"Maybe he's too busy thinking about tonight?" the younger twin replied in a carrying whisper. Several titters of laughter from girls in the crowd echoed his remark.

Takashi's jaw locked shut and his throat became even tighter. _'Oh god.'_ Though he _hadn't_ been thinking of the evening to come, he was _now_. Not only was it impossible to speak, breathing regularly was also rapidly becoming an issue. The room swayed dangerously.

A sharp cough stopped the twins from doing further damage and the audience settled back into their excited vigil. The tall host managed to take a deep breath, momentarily staving off death-or at least fainting-and looked down. Huge brown eyes focused on his own. She looked annoyed with him and while that was panic-inducing in its own right, at the very least, Takashi could focus on her and not the room at large.

"Did you change your mind?" she asked in her usual straightforward manner. Takashi shook his head, appearing violently distraught but still quite tongue-tied. Her face softened and she smiled at him; one of her famous natural smiles that caused his heart to palpitate and a warmth to spread, soothing away at his fear and tension. She took his large hand in her own and gave it a squeeze. "You still want to then?" Her smile struck him with such sweet precision that he found it hard to concentrate on anything else at the moment.

"I do," he reassured, squeezing her hand back and smiling softy, the words easily tumbling free. Her beautiful brown eyes widened and her smile increased to a magnitude he'd never before thought possible. Takashi could no longer remember why it had been so difficult to speak in the first place. Why had he not known his voice had the power to cause that smile? From now on he would recite poetry, read novels aloud, he would gladly speak until there were no words left to be spoken just to recreate that smile. And never again in his life would he hesitate-

"By the power invested in me," A loud voice broke into his thoughts, grounding him back in reality with disorienting force. "I now declare you man and wife!" The priest smiled at the young couple before him and clapped his hands, joyfully ending the ceremony. "You may kiss the bride!"

For the second time in his life, Takashi Morinozuka found himself completely paralysed with stage fright as his dark gray eyes swept over the massive gathering of family, friends, and former host club customers. (The revenue that Kyouya made selling tickets to their wedding totaled more than the debt that had landed Haruhi in the Host Club in the first place!) Everyone was cheering and cajoling for the newlyweds to put on a big finale. The tall silent one gulped. Speaking two words in front of this crowd had been nearly impossible, now he was expected to _kiss_? Suddenly, the motivation to stay conscious waned.

Haruhi Morinozuka was a woman of practicality. Therefore with a roll of her eyes and a wry smile, she rescued her new husband by standing on her tiptoes and pulling his head down to meet hers. Their lips met over a din of catcalls and whistles and Takashi found it hard to separate where he ended and Haruhi began. But that's what made it perfect; only with Haruhi could he both lose and find himself again in the end.

-/-/-/-

**Author's Notes:** I haven't written in a long time, but this little idea was too good to pass up on. I think it came out okay, except for the ending. I got kinda stuck there. This story was inspired by a song from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, but I won't say which. However if you were observant, you may have noticed several lyric references scattered throughout the story. Let me know if you figured it out.

Does this mean I've finally come back to the writing world? Too soon to tell. But the world could always use some more MoriHaru and I have plenty of those plot bunnies. Review and we'll see.


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